The Inside Story
by Sparkling Patronus
Summary: What were Fiyero's thoughts as he traveled the yellow brick rode with Dorothy? The journey in 'The Wizard of Oz' from Fiyero's point of view. Now completley rewritten. COMPLETE
1. The Journey Begins

**Title: The Inside Story**

**Rating: K+**

**Pairings: FiyeroxElphaba**

**Summary: What were Fiyero's thoughts as he traveled the yellow brick road with Dorothy? The journey in the Wizard of Oz from Fiyero's point of view.**

**Hey all, Sparkling Patronus here. I've been working on rewriting this story all week, as the grammar, sentence structure, and pretty much everything else about it was pretty bad. I was having trouble getting through it, and I'm the one who wrote it, even if that was two years ago. So anyway, I finally finished, and I added so much that there are actually two more chapters now. **

**The basic storyline is the same, but I took out some parts that made no sense and replaced them with situations that are hopefully a bit more believable. I also tried not to take as many lines directly from the movie, as that can be incredibly boring since I'm sure we all know the Wizard of Oz movie quite well. Hopefully these changes have improved the story's readability at least a bit. Enjoy.**

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Fiyero tried to lift his head, but it was useless. He'd been hanging up on this pole for about two hours, and never in his life had he felt so weak and helpless. He saw no way out of this situation. The guards that had strung him up here had no intention of letting him down unless he told them where Elphaba was hiding, and he was most certainly not going to let that particular information get out. He had no qualms about putting his own life in danger for Elphaba, but that did not mean that he was any less afraid.

When they'd first tied him up, the guards had taken one of their clubs and hit him in the side rather hard, calling him a traitor and warning that if he did not give Elphaba up he would be killed. He knew that these Gale Forcers meant business, and he also knew that there was no hope for him once they came back. If he hadn't already died of weakness and fatigue, the guards would have no qualms about beating him to death.

Closing his eyes once more, he tried not to think about this and to ignore the awful pain in his muscles. He had been tied up only by his wrists, and by now it felt as though his muscles were on fire. His arms were bent at a strange angle, and he wondered how much longer it would be possible for him to stay like this. He tried to pull himself up a bit with his arms, only to cry out in pain as his sore muscles screamed in protest. He hung his head; this situation seemed hopeless.

Then, all at once, the pain unexpectedly began to ebb away. Shocked, Fiyero pulled his head up. All of his energy suddenly seemed to have been restored, as thought he had not been hanging from a pole by his wrists for hours. However, he was distracted from this by a sudden tickling sensation in his lower leg. At first he thought it simply to be an itch, but it began to spread steadily up his body until he felt as though he were immersed in a pile of feathers. Then, just as Fiyero was beginning to worry, the feeling ceased, gone as quickly as it had come.

Shocked, Fiyero realized that with the tingling sensation had gone all of the pain he had been feeling previously. Not only that, his sense of feeling seemed to have disappeared altogether. He tried moving his arm again, and this time felt no pain. But something was wrong here. Something about his arm felt different, more flexible somehow. He glanced up at his hand, and gasped at what he saw.

The hand above his head was not his own, but rather just a burlap glove stuffed with golden straw. He tried to wiggle his fingers, and found that the fingers of the glove moved in response. Shocked, he tore his gaze away from the strange hand and glanced down at his chest. Another pang of shock went through him when he found that the rest of his body had changed as well. He was now dressed in a red plaid shirt he'd never seen before, straw sticking out of his body from underneath. He kicked his feet, and he did not recognize them either.

Panic began to set in as he surveyed his new features. How on earth had this happened? Last he'd heard people did not just spontaneously become scarecrows, not even in a place like Oz. His frantic mind could not seem to come up with any sort of explanation for this, so he tried to calm himself down a bit so he could think more clearly.

That was when it hit him. How did anything strange or unexplained happen to him? It had to be Elphaba; it was always Elphaba. She must have cast a spell from that strange spellbook of hers. He couldn't remember its name, but she'd showed it to him when they'd been together in the forest only this morning. It had seemed like meaningless scrawl to him, but she'd explained that it was a lost language of spells. He knew that she could read it, and also that she most certainly had enough power to accomplish something like this. That settled it, this had been Elphaba's doing.

Fiyero knew that he should be nothing but grateful for this change. After all, now that he was a scarecrow he had no muscles to strain, and his body was feather light. He could hang up on this pole for years and he would never tire. He also realized that he now had no reason to fear the Gale Forcers' return. After all, there was nothing to batter or break in his straw body. Their beating would have no effect on him whatsoever.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why Elphaba had chosen to turn him into a scarecrow of all things. Certainly there had been other spells that she could have chosen from that could have saved him without such strange…side effects. He felt guilty for the thoughts, and hated himself for being so ungrateful, but they were there nonetheless.

However, they were pushed from his mind as he heard the Gale Forcers returning, their heavy boots making a great deal of noise in the previously very quiet corn field. He stayed stock still as they approached, hoping to whatever higher powers were at work that they would not realize that the scarecrow on the pole was the same man they had tied up some hours ago.

The three officers came to a halt right in front of him, looks of utter confusion written on their faces. They looked around the field wildly for a moment, as if expecting Fiyero to jump from behind a corn stalk and yell "Surprise!" When nothing happened, one of the offers finally spoke.

"He's not here," he said. The other Gale Forcers had long ago nicknamed this particular man 'Captain Obvious'.

"How is that possible? We tied him up here hours ago and there's no way he could have gotten himself off of that pole," said another, the leader of their party.

"Well all that's here now is this scarecrow," stated Captain Obvious.

"He must have tied it up in his place so his escape would go unnoticed unless we got this close up," one of the guards reasoned.

"Well there's no way he could have gotten down on his own, he must have an accomplice," stated the leader, "We must find him and whoever is helping him! Let's move,"

With that, the guards headed down the path quickly, not sparing another glance to Fiyero. Relief swept over him as he realized that he was in the clear for now. The guards would not come back to this place as long as they thought he had escaped. However, this relief was short lived as Fiyero realized he still had no way to get down from this pole. Hanging his head in defeat, he realized that the only thing he could do was wait here until someone else came down the road.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though this path was not one of the most traveled in Oz. After several hours the sky began to grow dark, and still no one had come to Fiyero's aid. He wondered if Elphaba was looking for him now. He had begun to worry about her. After all, shouldn't she have come searching for him by now? She had cast the spell to save him several hours ago, and there was still no sign of her. He hoped against hope that she had not been captured.

Fiyero watched the road for another hour, but still no one came to assist him. Fiyero began to grow discouraged, and wondered if he still had the ability to sleep so he could escape this situation for a while. He didn't feel like he needed to sleep, but it would be nice to all the same. He closed his eyelids and tried to even his breathing. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep on the pole, the still empty road the last thing he saw before his eyelids closed.

When Fiyero awoke it was to find that it was morning. He glanced around in confusion, his mind taking a couple of moments to register where he was. That was when the severity of his situation hit him once more, and he glanced down the road once more with little hope.

However, this time he was not met with the sight of an empty path, but rather the sight of someone coming toward. It was a young girl, who did not appear over ten years old, and a small dog, who was pattering along at her heels. Fiyero gauged from her strange attire and the way she was looking around confusedly that she was not from around here. He froze as she approached, not sure if her intentions would be hostile or not.

He watched as she came to a halt in front of a fork in the path that began at his field. She looked down both paths before turning to her companion, "Oh Toto, which way do we go?" she asked nervously.

For a moment Fiyero thought that the creature might be a Dog, but it did not answer her and so he knew he was mistaken. He decided that this girl was not a threat, and that it would be to his benefit if he got her to help him down. However he had to take it slow, lest he frighten her away.

"Well, some people go that way," he began, pointing to the right. The girl looked around confusedly for the speaker, but she had not yet noticed Fiyero. He tried again, "Then again some people go that way," he said, this time pointing to the left. He grew frustrated as the girl still seemed completely oblivious to his presence, "Then again some people try both ways," he said, crossing his arms.

Finally the girl seemed to catch on, "Oh, so you're the one who's talking! Can't you make up your mind?"

Fiyero laughed bitterly, "It's hard to make up your mind when you're completely brainless." He hadn't meant this literally of course. He was pretty sure he still had a brain in his head, or the living scarecrow equivalent of a brain at least. He was referring to the fact that he was hanging from a pole chatting with a ten year old while his lover was out on her own, possibly in grave danger. He'd never felt more brainless in his life.

However, the girl seemed to take his statement literally and her eyes widened, "How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" she asked innocently.

Fiyero was about to object, but decided it might be better to play along with this. The girl seemed to be beginning to trust him. Instead he simply stated, "I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking."

"I suppose your right," she said, completely buying his act, "So why are you hanging up on that pole?"

"Oh um…" Fiyero stuttered, trying to come up with some plausible reason, "I've been hanging up here for as long as I can remember," he finished lamely.

"Would you like some help getting down?" she offered.

Fiyero smiled inwardly; his plan was working, "Sure," he said, "I think if you pull out the nail in the back I might just slide off,"

Dorothy obeyed and went around to the back of the pole. She pulled out the nail that connected the two pieces of wood, and the part Fiyero's arms were tied to fell to the ground. He was finally able to slip his arms out, and it took a lot of effort to resist whooping for joy.

"Thanks a lot…" he trailed off, realized he'd never learned the girl's name.

"Dorothy, my name's Dorothy," she said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you Dorothy. You're not from around here are you?" he asked.

At this her smile dropped, "No, I came by accident. I'm from a place called Kansas. I'm going to see the Wizard of Oz to ask if he'll help me get home," she explained. Suddenly she appeared to have an idea, "You know, I bet if you came to see the Wizard with me he could get you some brains." she said.

Fiyero felt bad to leave the girl when she seemed so desperate for some company, but he really needed to find Elphaba. However, he had just opened his mouth to object when Dorothy said, "Of course it would be dangerous, I have a witch after me."

Fiyero's eyes widened at this. The only two witchs in Oz were Glinda and Elphaba, and he was pretty sure it was not Glinda this girl was speaking of. But why in Oz would Elphaba be after a little foreign girl? It didn't make any sense.

"Why exactly is the witch after you Dorothy," Fiyero asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Well, you see, I dropped my house on her sister. It was an accident, but she was really mad. Then Miss Glinda told me to take these shoes and-"

Fiyero cut her off, "Glinda sent you here?" he asked, rather surprised. He'd known Glinda was mad at Elphaba, but he hadn't known she'd sink so low as to fill this little girl's head with all of the lies about 'The Wicked Witch of the West'.

The rest of what Dorothy said sunk in, and Fiyero's eyes widened. He remembered the last time he'd seen Elphaba. She had been Nessa was in danger and claimed to have seen a house flying through the air. If this girl had dropped her house on Nessa, then that meant Elphaba had been right, and she was probably less than happy with this litte girl. Glancing at Dorothy's feet, he recognized her shoes as the jeweled shoes Nessarose had worn at Shiz. There was no mistaking them, even though their color had been changed to a deep red. Suddenly everything made sense. Elphaba was after this girl because she wanted those shoes. They were the only thing she had left of her little sister after all.

That was when Fiyero decided that it might be better to tag along with this girl after all. If Elphaba was after this girl then they'd probably run into each other at one point, and Fiyero was sure that Elphaba was looking for him too. For a moment Fiyero considered explaining the truth about Elphaba to this girl, but almost immediately decided against it. She already believed the Wizard's lies, and there was no way she'd listen to him right now. Besides, Fiyero needed to earn her trust. Once they met up with Elphaba he could explain that everything had been a huge misunderstanding, request that Dorothy return the shoes to Elphaba, and everything would be fine. He smiled at the thought.

"Well, I'd be delighted to go with you to see the Wizard," he said finally, and the girl's eyes lit up.

"OK, if you're sure you want to," she said, rather unconvincingly. He knew she was probably terrified at the thought of traveling through a strange land on her own.

"Of course, I'm not afraid of the Witch," he stated truthfully. Afraid of her? Only when he was trying to argue with her maybe, but there was no reason for him to fear Elphaba. With that last thought, the two of them set off down the road once more.

**And that's the first chapter. I tried to put as many of Fiyero's thoughts and as few direct lines from the movie as possible. I hope the explanations were believable, and I hope you liked the chapter.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**S.P.**


	2. The Tin Man

Fiyero and Dorothy had been walking for about an hour, her little dog Toto trotting at their heels. As they traveled Dorothy told him stories about her home back in Kansas. Fiyero actually found her stories interesting. Kansas sounded like a very strange place, being so unlike the land of Oz. He found that he was actually taking a liking to this girl as he listened to her tales. She was a bit naïve, but she was sweet nonetheless.

After a while they came to a grove of apple trees, and Dorothy exclaimed, "Look apples!"

Fiyero stopped walking as the girl pointed excitedly. He really hadn't been thinking about food since he no longer needed to eat, but he imagined Dorothy must be starving after such a long walk. She reached up to pick an apple off one of the trees, but her hand was swatted away by one of its gnarled branches.

"What do you think you're doing?" the tree demanded angrily.

"Well we were walking a long way and I was hungry and…wait a minute. Did you just talk?" she asked, eyes widening as she took a step backwards.

A long argument ensued, but eventually Fiyero was able to anger the trees so much that they pelted the pair with apples. Dorothy moved to pick one up, but froze suddenly. Fiyero looked over to see what the problem was and found Dorothy staring at a metal leg, which was actually attached to a metal body. In fact there was a person made entirely of tin standing right in front of them. Fiyero couldn't place it, but the tin man looked awfully familiar.

Dorothy stood up to examine the man, walking all around him, when suddenly he emitted a strange groaning noise. Dorothy jumped back in surprise.

"I think he's trying to speak," she said, looking at the tin man curiously.

"What's he saying?" asked Fiyero, moving closer.

"I think he said 'oil can'," she answered, searching the ground around the tin man. She spotted a small oil can lying near his feet and picked it up. She poured a few drops of oil into the joints of his mouth and relief was evident in his eyes as the joints groaned and then began working properly once more.

"Oh thank Oz, I can speak again. Quick, oil my legs," he said urgently. Fiyero thought the man's voice sounded familiar somehow as well, but he brushed it off as he took the can from Dorothy and oiled the man's leg joints. Fiyero wondered just how long the poor guy had been stuck like that.

The Tin Man took a few shaky steps before he froze again. Dorothy hastily took the can and poured a few more drops of oil into his joints. "Who are you, and how on earth did you get like this?" she asked, watching as the tin man tested his legs once more.

Boq didn't know what this 'earth' was, but answered nonetheless, "The name's Boq, but most people just call me the Tin Man" he answered, a note of bitterness in his voice.

Fiyero's eyes widened as he realized why the man seemed so familiar. He recognized the name Boq as the name of a Munchkin boy he'd gone to school with. Now that he looked at the tin man again he could even see the resemblance. He wondered how in Oz Boq had ended up like this.

Boq continued, oblivious to Fiyero's shock, "I was running through the woods when it suddenly began to rain. I couldn't get to cover fast enough, so I rusted in place. That was about two days ago, and I've been stuck here ever since."

"What were you running from?" Dorothy asked curiously.

Boq's eyes seemed to darken, "I've been a prisoner of the Wicked Witch of the East for years. I finally managed to get away a couple of days ago. I'm surprised she hasn't found me by now."

"The Wicked Witch of the East is dead," said Dorothy softly.

"Dead?" Boq echoed, sounding rather surprised. His eyes softened for a moment, but they became harsh again almost instantly, "She deserved it."

"I don't think anyone deserves that," Dorothy answered, looking down at her shoes. She still felt a bit bad about what had happened. Just because the Wicked Witch of the East had been an evil woman didn't mean she'd deserved to be killed.

"Yeah well, you didn't know her like I did." Boq said bitterly, "She and her horrible sister are the reason I'm made of tin in the first place."

Fiyero looked at Boq curiously at the mention of Elphaba. So she'd been responsible for Boq's change as well. Fiyero knew there must be more to the story than that. He was pretty sure Elphaba wouldn't have turned Boq into a tin man without good reason.

"The Wicked Witch of the West did this to you?" asked Dorothy, eyes widening. Was the Wicked Witch really powerful enough to turn a man into tin?

"Yes, and what's worse, now that I'm like this I haven't got a heart," he said, banging on his empty tin chest for emphasis.

"Well, my friend Scarecrow and I are going to see the Wizard of Oz. Maybe he could give you a heart!" Dorothy suggested excitedly.

Boq's eyes seemed to light up, "Do you think he would?"

"Well, he is a wonderful wizard isn't he?" Dorothy said, now bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Fiyero was sorely tempted to say something about the Wizard at this point, but he held his tongue. He knew the Wizard would not really be able to grant any of these requests, and he felt rather bad that the two of them would have to find that out eventually. For now though, he'd have to keep quiet. It wouldn't do for a brainless scarecrow to know so much about the Wizard of Oz.

"I'd love to come you," said Boq excitedly, "if you wouldn't mind my tagging along."

"Of course not," Dorothy replied happily, "The more the merrier!"

The three were about to turn and leave, when suddenly a loud crack split the silence. A puff of red smoke appeared on a nearby barn, and suddenly Elphaba materialized before them. Dorothy ducked behind Fiyero, whimpering in fear. Toto was barking hysterically.

Fiyero, on the other hand, was overjoyed to see Elphaba. He'd been so worried that she'd been captured or hurt. He was about to call out to her when she spoke in a strange voice that was not at all like her usual one.

"I see you've made some friends. Well, they can't protect you from me; I will get those ruby slippers. You two stay away from her, or I'll stuff a mattress with you, and use you for a bee hive!" she shrieked. She looked murderous. Fiyero realized why everyone was so afraid of her; she could be very intimidating.

Fiyero's eyes widened as he suddenly realized Elphaba did not recognize him. Why else would she be acting this way? But how was that possible? After all, she was the one who had cast the spell. Unless…unless she didn't know that it had worked. Was it possible that she believed him dead? It would certainly explain her current behavior, as well as the fact that she'd never come looking for him in the corn field. He looked up at her. She was livid, and there was a sort of manic gleam in her eyes.

This was bad. Fiyero hoped she wouldn't do anything dangerous purely out of anger. He'd seen her angry before and it was certainly not a pretty sight. He shrunk back, watching her warily. For the first time since she had sent their class into chaos that day back at Shiz, he actually felt afraid of her.

"Wanna play ball Scarecrow?" she asked menacingly, conjuring up a ball of fire. Fiyero's eyes widened. He knew Elphaba was upset, but he hadn't thought that she'd intentionally harm someone. She didn't seem to be in the right frame of mind right now. After all, she'd lost her sister and now she thought her lover was dead as well.

Elphaba hurled the fireball at Fiyero, cackling madly. He dove of the way just in time and it struck the spot he'd been standing only moments before. Boq stamped it out with his tin boot as Elphaba cackled again.

"Just remember, you can't run forever," she cried, and with another puff of red smoke she was gone as quickly as she'd come.

Fiyero just stared open mouth at the rooftop where Elphaba had been standing only moments before. She'd almost killed him just then. She didn't know it was him of course, but even so that wasn't like Elphaba at all. The Elphaba he knew would never want to harm anyone, and he suspected that if she had she'd regret it once she calmed down a bit. Still, her actions worried him. He couldn't believe she was that upset.

Fiyero had no clue where to go from here. How could he approach Elphaba when she was like this? How could he get close enough to explain things to her when she was more than ready to send him up in flames? This turn of events most definitely posed some new problems.

"I'll make sure you get to the Emerald City safely now no matter what Dorothy. Use me for a beehive…" Boq mumbled as he helped Fiyero to his feet.

Fiyero, feeling as though he should add something to that, said unsurely, "Yeah, and I'll make sure you get there safely whether I get a brain or not!" However, Fiyero did not take his eyes off of the rooftop as he spoke, and only once they continued on their way down the road did he finally turn away.

**And there we have the first meeting. I imagine something like this would have had to happen during this scene in the movie. After all, why would Elphaba try to set Fiyero on fire if she knew it was him? Well, hope this rather crucial chapter was satisfactory.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**S.P.**


	3. The Lion

The sky had grown dark some time ago, and the three travelers were now setting up a sort of makeshift camp for the night. Dorothy, being the only one who actually needed to sleep, was already out cold, curled up comfortably on the soft grass with Toto asleep beside her. Boq had made a fire, and Fiyero was sitting as far away from it as possible. While Boq stoked the flames he allowed his mind to wander.

His head was still reeling from the events that had taken place earlier. He couldn't get over how different Elphaba had seemed. She'd seemed so…menacing; not at all like the -at times sarcastic- but overall kind and passionate Elphaba he had fallen in love with. He felt so bad for her, and even worse was the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. She believed that she'd lost everything. Her sister was gone, she thought Fiyero had been killed, and her best and only friend had turned against her. He supposed that was what had driven her to this. She thought that the only people who actually thought of her as Elphaba were gone, and now all that was left was the Wicked Witch of the West. He knew he had to get to her and explain what had happened as soon as possible. He couldn't let her do something she'd regret later.

Fiyero's train of thought was interrupted as Boq stepped away from the flames and moved to join him. He sat down next to Fiyero, but neither man seemed to know how to break the awkward silence. It was Boq who finally spoke after a few moments of awkward tension.

"Do you really think any of us will have a chance to see the Wizard?" he asked suddenly, turning his gaze toward Fiyero. Fiyero could tell by Boq's face that he'd been thinking on this subject for a while.

"I don't know. I'm not really sure how many guests the Wizard sees, or what you have to do to get in," he answered. He could not tell Boq the truth. He knew he should hate the man for the horrible things he said and believed about Elphaba, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry with Boq. After all, Boq was simply as misinformed as everyone else in Oz. Boq didn't know the whole story, and so he just took his anger out on Elphaba. Fiyero knew that Boq and Dorothy's hopes would be dashed once they reached the Wizard anyway.

"That's just it," said Boq, looking down at his tin hand, "I don't the Wizard takes any guests. I don't think anyone has ever had an audience with him, and with the Witch after us…"

"Hey, we're not going to let some wicked witch stop us," said Fiyero, trying with all of his might to sound casual. He could not think of Elphaba that way, no matter how she was currently acting.

"I'm just worried for this kid you know? She can't be more than twelve years old. She has no clue what she's getting into here. She has no clue what kind of danger she's in," Boq answered, pulling his knees up into his chest.

"She'll be fine. We'll get her there safely, I'm sure of it," Fiyero relied, trying to sound confident.

Boq nodded unsurely but said nothing else on the subject. The two did not speak for the rest of the night, each too absorbed in his own thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, the first rays of dawn shone through as the sun appeared on the horizon. Dorothy stirred and sat up, yawning.

"Oh hello," she said, seeing that Fiyero and Boq were awake and sitting nearby, "I suppose we should be going then"

The two men nodded in agreement and pulled themselves out of the positions they'd been sitting in all night. The three travelers stepped back on to the yellow brick road, but after about an hour of walking they found that the path up ahead disappeared into a dark forest. As they entered among the dark, rather sinister looking trees Fiyero could tell Dorothy was terrified. She picked Toto up and clutched him close to her chest.

"I don't like this forest," she stated nervously, moving closer to Fiyero instinctively, "Do you think there are any wild animals in here?"

Boq, although he was made of tin, also seemed a bit nervous, "I-I don't know. There could be lions…and tigers…and bears." Fiyero could practically hear Boq's joints rattling. Fiyero glared at him. Boq certainly wasn't doing much to ease Dorothy's fear.

"Oh my," Dorothy whimpered, glancing around warily as if expecting to be devoured at any moment, and she clung on to one of Fiyero's arms for dear life. They had made it about half way through the forest without incident when suddenly something large and furry jumped out at them with a deafening roar.

"Come on, come on! I'll fight all of ya! Let's go," he roared, pumping his paws in front of him as he bounced up and down on two legs.

Fiyero was shocked to realize that the creature that had leapt at them was a rather large Lion. It was surprising to see any Animals that still retained their power of speech in Oz these days; the Wizard had certainly seen to that.

Suddenly Toto leapt from Dorothy's arms and began yapping madly, snapping at the Lion's heels. The large Beast cried out and cowered back in fear. Dorothy moved forward to pick up her dog, looking a bit amused, "Why you're just a big coward!" she said, watching as the Lion whimpered in fear.

"You're right, I am a coward," he wailed, suddenly sobbing into his tail, "I have been ever since I was just a little Cub!"

"But why are you such a coward?" asked Boq, taking a step closer, "I thought Lions were supposed to be courageous."

"Well you see, something happened to me when I was very young. I don't remember it very well and the details are kind of fuzzy, but I think I basically know what happened. I had been separated from my mother, and I was taken by some humans put into a sort of metal box. I think it was called a catch or a cage or something like that. I was brought into a room full of people, and all I can remember is that I was very frightened," Fiyero gaped as the Lion told his story. All of this sounded disconcertingly familiar, "Before I knew what was happening there was a crash and sparks began flying. Then suddenly someone grabbed my cage and started running. It was two people if I remember correctly; a young man and a green girl I believe

"A green girl?" Boq exclaimed as the Lion finished his story, "Why that's the Wicked Witch of the West!"

"I managed to escape somehow, but ever since that day I've been afraid of everything," the Lion finished, wringing his tail between his paws.

Now Fiyero knew exactly who this Lion was. It was the Cub he and Elphaba had rescued the day back at Shiz. That was one day Fiyero would never forget. It was the day he'd realized there was so much more to Elphaba than just green skin and a fiery temper. He knew that the Lion didn't remember correctly at all. He hadn't escaped, Elphaba and Fiyero had released him. They'd rescued him from a life of imprisonment and he still blamed Elphaba for his lack of courage. He supposed that was the way things worked in Oz. When in doubt, blame Elphaba. However, he was once again forced to hold his tongue and could not correct the Lion for fear of blowing his cover.

"That's terrible," Dorothy said, "You know, the three of us are going to see the Wizard. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man wants a heart, and I need a way to get home. Why don't you come with us and ask him to grant you courage?"

"I'd be too scared to ask him," the Lion said sadly, turning away.

"We could ask for you if you want! Please come with us. You'll be a coward forever if you don't at least try," said Dorothy, trying to convince him. The Lion turned back around to face her,

"Well…I guess if you could ask for me I could come with you. I really would like to be courageous," the Lion answered unsurely.

"It's settled then! We're off to see the Wizard!" said Dorothy excitedly. And with one more member in their party the travelers set off down the road again.

**Thanks for reading. **

**S.P.**


	4. The Writing in the Sky

After about an hour of walking together, the Lion had finally seemed to relax to their presence and by now had stopped wringing his paws together nervously. Now as they walked the group made small talk, but Fiyero still could not take his mind off of Elphaba. He was worried about her and wondered how she was holding up. He knew she was probably hiding out in Kiamo Ko right now, but the question was how to get there without the others coming along. After all, he couldn't exactly explain things to Elphaba with three people who feared and hated her standing right behind him. He supposed he'd have to wait until they went to see the Wizard to figure that out. Surely it would be easier to slip away once the others were distracted.

Finally, at about noon, the group stopped off by a clump of berry bushes so that Dorothy could eat. It turned out that the Lion, being too afraid to hunt, was a vegetarian, and he too accepted the berries eagerly. Once the two had eaten their fill, the group continued on their way once more.

A short while later the Emerald City finally came into view. It loomed proud and tall, sparkling marvelously on the horizon. Dorothy all but leapt for joy as they grew closer and, unable to contain her enthusiasm, sprinted ahead of the small group. Straying off of the road, she began to take a short cut through a nearby poppy field. Her companions sped up, not wanting the girl to get too far ahead. However, after only a few moments, Dorothy and the Lion stopped moving altogether. Boq and Fiyero turned to look at them curiously.

"Wow," Dorothy yawned, rubbing her eyes, "I suddenly feel so sleepy. I think I'll lie down for a little while."

"Dorothy, what are you doing? Don't stop now, we're almost there!" Fiyero said, pointing a cloth finger toward the Emerald City skyline. Had the girl lost her mind? They were so very close to the city! Now was most certainly not the time for spontaneous napping.

However, Fiyero began to worry when the Lion too began to teeter dangerously on his feet. "Come to think of it, 40 winks doesn't sound like a bad idea," he yawned, falling forward as Boq and Fiyero rushed to steady him.

"Not you too," said Boq as he moved over to Dorothy. Grabbing her under the arms he tried to help her back up, "Come give me a hand, maybe we can carry her," he called to Fiyero. Fiyero left the Lion, who was already out cold, and tried to help Boq wake Dorothy. It was no use, she had fallen asleep as well.

"Something's not right," said Boq, panic beginning to creep into his voice, "There's some sort of spell at work here. It's the Wicked Witch of the West; she's trying to stop us again!"

As much as he hated to admit it, Fiyero too felt that this was Elphaba's doing. If that was the case then there was nothing they could do to stop it. Elphaba's magic was far too powerful and there was no way any one of them could even hope to break the spell. But they had to get out of here. If Elphaba hadn't calmed down yet and came to this field looking for them…. Well, Fiyero had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty. However, his panicked musings were cut short when he noted that something fluffy and white had begun to fall from the sky.

"Look it's snowing," Boq shouted, his awestruck gaze fixed on the sky. Indeed it was. In a matter of moments the ground was covered in a fluffy layer of snow.

All of a sudden Dorothy and the Lion stirred, obviously awakened by the freezing blanket of snow that now covered each of them. Both woar looks of utter confusion as they stood up, but Boq and Fiyero understood. Obviously the snow flakes had successfully countered whatever spell Elphaba had placed on the poppies.

Dorothy and the others immediately assumed that Glinda was behind the snow, but Fiyero was not so sure. After all, Glinda had really never had much talent for sorcery, and a weather spell took a lot of power and concentration. He did remember, however; that whether spells had been a specialty of that horrible woman who had been their headmistress and was now press secretary to the Wizard. Yes, it would not be beneath Madame Morrible to cast a spell to make Glinda look good. After all, Glinda was currently acting as the Wizard's main puppet. However, Fiyero was once again forced to keep the truth silent. He was beginning to grow disgusted with the fact that he could not say anything to counter the lies his friends kept coming up with, but he knew he could not say anything about it, at least not until he found Elphaba.

"Come on then," said Dorothy, shaking the remaining snow flakes out of her hair, "Let's keep going. We're almost there!"

The others followed behind Dorothy obediently, Boq and the Lion looking just as excited as the young girl. The three were so focused on the Emerald City ahead of them that not one of them caught the troubled look on Fiyero's face, and they simply continued merrily on their way.

From the poppy field the group reached the Emerald City in about an hour. Dorothy hastened her pace as they grew closer the gates, obviously excited at the prospect of finally meeting the Wizard. She rang the bell and, after a misunderstanding with a rather incompetent guard, they stated the reason they had come. The guard had rather rudely refused them entry, and had been about to slam the door in their face when Dorothy had explained their situation with 'The Wicked Witch of the West'. She showed the guard her rather unique footwear and he recognized the slippers, having heard the story of the Wicked Witch of the East from a Munchkin who had been present at the time the house had fallen onto her. After that he had ushered the four of them inside eagerly.

One they were inside the Emerald City, the four of them were led to a small salon. There they were stuffed, shined, primped and combed until their travel worn appearances disappeared, leaving them looking rather clean and presentable. However, as they exited the building their good mood was shattered by a sudden uproar of panic and confusion taking place on the streets outside. They looked around for the source of the upset, and Fiyero was the first to realize what was wrong. There, hovering high above the city on a rather beat up looking old broomstick, was Elphaba. He was glad to see that after all of this time she still caused a commotion wherever she went. Correction, she didn't cause the commotions, she _was_ one.

However, Fiyero was broken out of his musings as he realized Elphaba was writing a sort of message in the sky using a line of smoke that was trailing from the tip of broom. She twisted and looped until she finished her message, and then she flew off, cackling madly. Her finished message read 'Surrender Dorothy'.

These words seemed to send a fresh wave of panic through the already frantic crowd. "Dorothy? Who's Dorothy?" someone cried, looking at the message in the sky with wide eyes. People were running every which way, even though Elphaba had already departed, and Fiyero was nearly separated from the others in the confusion.

However, before the situation could get out of hand a tall Gale Force guard appeared outside of the entrance to the Emerald Palace. Speaking in an authoritative tone, he declared, "The great and powerful Wizard of Oz wished me to inform all of you that he has this situation completely under control. All of you return to your homes." He shooed off the remaining Ozians, who by now had begun to calm down, and soon only Fiyero and his three companions were left standing before the palace.

"Please sir," said Dorothy shyly, looking down at her shoes, "we need to see the Wizard right away."

The guard did not seem affected by Dorothy's childish manner, and stated quite firmly, "The Wizard is accepting no visitors. Go home."

Fiyero felt bad for the poor girl, and though he knew that seeing the Wizard would do no good anyway, he felt that he should at least do his part to try and get them inside, "But you don't understand. She's Dorothy!"

This finally seemed to change the guard's demeanor. His eyes grew wide and he now actually seemed interested in the visitors, "The Witch's Dorothy?" he asked, whispering as though he suspected Elphaba would hear him. When the four of them nodded the guard spoke again, suddenly looking very excited, "Well that makes a difference! I'll announce you at once!" With that, the guard disappeared inside, his coattails nearly getting caught in the heavy oak doors as they swung closed behind them.

The four companions looked at each other, not quite sure what had just happened. After what seemed like an eternity the guard returned, his expression somber, "The Wizard says 'go home'. He refuses to see any visitors right now and that's final."

Dorothy seemed shocked for a moment, and Fiyero knew she had gotten her hopes up only to have them crushed. When the guard disappeared back inside, Dorothy sat down on the steps looking rather disheartened. After a few moments she began to cry, much to the obvious dismay of her three male companions. They sat next to her and tried to look supportive, while really they were just hoping she would stop soon. The situation was making them feel rather awkward. Fiyero especially hated it when girls cried. That was why he'd never used to break up with his girlfriends back I high school. When he got tired of one girl he'd simply start dating another. Then when his first girlfriend found out she usually just shouted, threw things at him, and then never spoke to him again. Shouting he could deal with. Fiyero shook his head, that had been back before he'd met Elphaba, when he'd still been completely shallow and self absorbed. Fiyero still marveled at the way the green girl had changed him.

However, while Fiyero had been letting his mind wander, Dorothy had been babbling something rather unintelligible. Though the three men could not understand her, the guard, who had apparently been eavesdropping for the past few minutes, did. He came out of the palace blubbering, his face streaked with tears. Fiyero felt embarrassed for him.

Through his sobs the guard managed to choke out, "That's so sad! I had an Auntie Em myself once! I'll get you in to see the Wizard, just stop crying!" and with that he scurried back inside. He reappeared a few minutes later, this time bearing good news, "The Wizard will see you now!"

Dorothy's tears dried at once, and in a matter of moments she was back to her usual cheery self. Fiyero just breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that she wasn't crying anymore. He really couldn't handle tears. Dorothy grabbed his hand and pulled him through the large doors, practically skipping with glee as they were lead inside. The three men behind her exchanged nervous glances as they entered the chamber, the large doors instantly slamming shut behind them.

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	5. The Not So Wonderful Wizard of Oz

As they stepped inside they were met by a long stone corridor, lit only by torchlight. Fiyero, who had been down these halls many time before, felt no apprehension, but Dorothy and Boq were trembling a bit (Fiyero could hear Boq's joint rattling) and the Lion looked as if he was about to wet himself. The only reason Fiyero felt nervous was because he already knew exactly what was going to happen. The Wizard was not going to be able to help any of them and after their long journey they'd be sent away empty handed. Oh Oz, what if Dorothy started crying again?

The hallway ended with a large door that appeared to be cut entirely out of emerald. Fiyero knew this place well; the last time he'd seen it he'd threatened the Wizard and run off with Elphaba, leaving a devastated Glinda behind. Maybe he had more than one reason to be grateful for his new straw body, at least it meant no one would recognize him.

With a grunt of effort Boq and Fiyero managed to push the heavy door open, and they found themselves in rather large, dimly lit room. There was a rather large mechanical head directly across the room from them, one that Fiyero recognized all too well, and it became animated as soon as they entered the chamber.

It addressed them in a booming voice, smoke and flashing lights only adding to the effect, "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Why do you seek me?"

Fiyero just rolled his eyes as the others cowered in fear before the large mechanical contraption. The little show was so overdone, and it was all just smoke and mirrors. However he had to keep in character, and so he put on a show of being just as terrified as the other three. He supposed it was a good thing he'd always been a pretty decent actor,

Dorothy seemed to find her voice first, "W-well you see sir-" she stammered, but the booming voice cut her off.

"Silence, the Great and Powerful Oz knows why you have come," the Wizard said. He proceeded to call Boq forward, and Fiyero could hear the man's joints rattling from some distance away.

"So you seek a heart? Why should I grant you your request you shivering junk yard?" he yelled, and Boq scrambled backwards, looking more terrified that he'd ever been in his entire life.

Fiyero was getting rather annoyed with this little performance. The Wizard was more cowardly than the Lion was, and all he did was bully others while hiding behind his little light show. Fiyero knew the man had no real power; that was why he relied on fear and lies to keep his grip on Oz. Fiyero was sorely tempted to march behind the head and expose the Wizard for what he was, but he knew that would blow his cover, so instead he just said, rather pathetically, "Hey, that wasn't very nice!"

"And you Lion, you come to ask me for courage," he said, ignoring Fiyero's last comment. Fiyero looked around for the Lion, but was surprised to find that the large Cat was no where in sight. Glancing down, he found that the Lion had passed out at his feet. Yes, this little meeting was going well.

"Hey! You should be ashamed of yourself!" shouted Dorothy, forgetting her earlier fear as she tried to help the Lion to his feet, "Scaring him when he only came to you for help."

Fiyero raised an eyebrow, wondering how the Wizard would take to Dorothy's little comment. Surprisingly, he didn't seem angry, "Silence! The Great and Powerful Oz will grant your request," he said hastily. Fiyero briefly found himself wondering why the Wizard always referred to himself in the third person.

Upon hearing the Wizard's decree the Lion shot up into a sitting position, "What'd he say?" he asked hopefully, his earlier show of cowardice forgotten.

Fiyero looked up at the Wizard doubtfully, wondering how on earth the man planned to pull this one off. Fiyero knew there was no way he was capable of granting even one of their requests.

Fiyero's question was answered as the Wizard spoke again, "But first, you must prove yourself with a test." Of course, there was always a catch. He watched the Wizard for a moment, waiting to hear what this "test" would consist of. This ought to be good.

The Wizard was silent for a moment, and Fiyero could almost hear the gears turning in the Wizard's real head as he tried to come up with something suitable. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke again, "You must bring me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West."

Fiyero's eyes grew wide at this. There was no way they'd be able to get Elphaba's broomstick; she guarded the ratty old thing with her life. He was pretty sure she was not going to relinquish it to some ten year old farm girl who'd killed her sister and stolen her shoes. In order to get that broomstick…

"Why, we'd have to kill her to get it!" he exclaimed, finishing his thought out loud. The others seemed to think the note of panic in his voice meant that he was afraid _of _Elphaba, instead of afraid for her.

"Silence, I will speak to you no more unless you find a way to bring me that broomstick!" the Wizard replied, and Fiyero could already see the lights on the sides of the mechanical head shutting down, "Be gone."

"But…" Dorothy started unsurely.

"I said be gone!" shouted the Wizard, the lights flaring up to full power once more. Dorothy jumped backwards, but her reaction was nothing compared to the Lion. With a high pitched cry Fiyero hadn't even known the Lion was capable of emitting, the large Cat turned and raced down the hallway, shrieking all the way. When he reached the end he stopped and looked around for an exit, but the hallway he'd taken lead to a dead end. For a moment he looked trapped, before he suddenly leapt and went crashing through the window to the ground below.

Dorothy looked concerned, but Fiyero couldn't help but roll his eyes. He'd though the Wizard was overly dramatic. Besides, it was only a first floor window; the Lion couldn't have injured himself too badly. The remaining three of them found a much more normal way of exiting the building: through the front door.

Once they had ventured back out into the courtyard and collected the Cowardly Lion (they'd found him cowering under a rose bush) the group began trying to decide on a course of action. Fiyero grew more and more worried as the conversation progressed, for it seemed that all three of his companions were adamant about fulfilling the Wizard's request. Dorothy didn't seem to want to hurt anyone, but Boq was all for tracking Elphaba down and killing her. The Lion was on Boq's side, as long as he didn't actually have to help of course. Fiyero tried to make small comments here and there throughout the conversation so it would appear as though he was interested, but it was no use. It didn't really seem to matter though, for the others seemed to assume he wasn't participating simply because he didn't have a brain.

However, the truth was that Fiyero _was _thinking, and rather hard at that. He knew he had to find some way to get to Kiamo Ko and warn Elphaba as soon as possible. If Boq and the other's got there before he did, then there was no telling what would happen to her. Fiyero wasn't sure exactly what Boq was capable of (he seemed the only one up for the actual act of killing Elphaba) but Fiyero knew that Boq's new tin body could probably do some real damage. Fiyero knew that if any harm came to Elphaba he would never forgive himself for it.

The four of them eventually reached a verdict (well three of them, since Fiyero wasn't technically a part of the conversation) and decided that there was no choice but to kill the Witch and steal the broomstick. Boq claimed to know where the Witch's castle was, and Fiyero was shocked to learn that Boq's information was actually accurate. The group set out straight away, headed for the forest where the castle of Kiamo Ko was hidden. Fiyero followed behind reluctantly, growing more and more worried by the minute.

It was then that Fiyero hatched his own little plan. Tonight, once Dorothy and the Lion were asleep, he would find some way to lure Boq away from their camp, and then he would slip away unnoticed. After all, Kiamo Ko wasn't too far into the forest, and it was still fairly light out at this point. Surely by the time they stopped for the night they'd be rather close to the castle. With any luck he'd be able to speak with Elphaba and return to camp before anyone even noticed he was gone. It was a risky plan, but it had to work; there was nothing else Fiyero could do.

As he went over his course of action in his mind, he half listened as the others planned theirs. Apparently all they had come up with so far was that they would somehow slip past the Witch's guards and into the castle. Then they would somehow sneak up behind the Witch, unnoticed, and Boq would attack her while her back was turned. While Fiyero listened to their rather pathetic plot he couldn't help but think that he could have come up with something better even if he really didn't have a brain. Still, the three seemed satisfied with it, though Dorothy still looked a bit reluctant. Fiyero decided that the worse their plan was, the better that was for him.

With that, the group set off from the Emerald City, heading west toward the forest that would bring them to Kiamo Ko. As they departed, crowds of Ozians surrounded them, cheering and showing their support. They called the four 'witch hunters' and wished them luck on their travels. Fiyero wondered briefly how news traveled so quickly around these parts. Fighting their way through the sea of admirers was difficult at first, but the crowd began to thin as the group moved further away from the city. By the time the four of them reached the forest, there was not a single Ozian in sight.

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**S.P.**


	6. Break In

The four travelers stopped for a moment as they prepared to enter the forest. They tried to see beyond the gnarled trees, but the inside of the forest seemed to be swallowed completely by blackness. Fiyero sighed forlornly as he stood at the edge of the trees. The last time he'd been here he'd been with Elphaba. They'd spent a wonderful night together before Elphaba had suddenly run off to try and save her sister from a flying house. A task at which, by the way, she had not succeeded.

Now, however; that night seemed to be in the distant past, and the only thing Fiyero saw when he looked at the forest was the risky task he had ahead of him once night fell. He hoped with all his might he could pull it off. He had to see Elphaba again; he was worried out of his mind and he missed her terribly. Briefly he wondered is she missed him as well, and it took him a few moments to remember that she believed he was dead.

Boq took the lead as the group finally entered the forest, and Fiyero noted that it seemed creepier than the last time he'd been here. It looked a bit more ominous somehow. Fiyero reasoned that this was probably just because the other three around him were shivering uncontrollably and jumping at the slightest sound. It was making him terribly nervous.

They walked for a long time, until the forest seemed to blend together in a blur of darkness, trees, and moss. None of the travelers made a sound as they walked, each one too afraid to break the silence. The only sounds they heard as they continued on were those of leaves rustling overhead and twigs snapping underfoot. This only served to make the four of them even jumpier, but they pressed on anyway, never looking back. After a while, they came upon a makeshift sign, which was poking out of the ground at an odd angle.

Dorothy crouched down on front of the sign and read, "Witch's castle one mile, I'd turn back if I were you"

Fiyero gaped openmouthed as Dorothy read the sign aloud. Had Elphaba completely lost her mind? No wonder Boq had known where to find the castle, Elphaba was practically advertising it! Didn't she know how important it was that she stay hidden? Did she simply not care anymore? Whatever the reason, Fiyero knew he had to get that sign out of there.

As the other three moved ahead, he pulled a handful of straw out of his chest and tossed it aside. Then, pretending to fall, he threw himself on the ground next to it. As the others turned around, looking concerned, he simply said, "Be right there"

Upon realizing that Fiyero was alright the others turned and continued walking forward, knowing that Fiyero would catch up as soon as he got himself together. When he was sure they weren't going to notice, he quickly yanked the sign out of the ground. In one swift motion he swung the sign into a tree trunk, and it shattered into dozens of tiny pieces upon contact. Satisfied that he'd at least gotten rid of one danger to Elphaba's safety, Fieryo quickly re-stuffed himself and hurried off to catch up with the others.

They walked on for a few more minutes, before suddenly the eerie silence of the forest was pierced by several loud shrieks from overhead. The four travelers searched around for the source of the noise, and when they looked up they were met by the sight of an entire flock of Flying Monkeys. Their strange crimson wings beat against the sky unnaturally, giving them a ghostly appearance against the now darkening sky. Fiyero recognized them as the Monkeys that Elphaba had forced the Wizard to release from captivity. He supposed she had them working on her side now.

They Monkeys swooped down upon the four before any of them could react, their strange forms blotting out the sky as they descended. The others tried to fight them off, but to no avail; they were severely outnumbered. Boq swung his axe wildly in an attempt to hit some of them, but the monkeys were too swift. One of them seized the axe with its tail, and flung it backwards, where it stuck into the trunk of a tree. Fiyero tried to retreat, but he didn't get far before several of the monkeys tackled him and tore him apart, scattering his straw across the forest floor. The Lion was not really doing much to help, and had sought refuge under a strange looking bush, where he was now cowering with his paws over his head.

Then, as quickly as they had come, the monkeys took flight once more and soon their forms became specks in the night sky. For a moment Fiyero thought that they were safe, before he realized that something was terribly wrong: Dorothy was missing. The monkeys had taken her. Fiyero cursed. Couldn't Elphaba have waited until tomorrow to send her monkeys out? This completely ruined his plan. There was no way Boq and the Lion would stop to rest now, for they'd be too intent on rushing to save Dorothy. There was only one thing Fiyero could do now He had to rush ahead and get to Elphaba first. It was the only way to save her. The only problem was that he was still scattered across the forest in several pieces.

Boq was a short distance away, tugging on his axe as he tried to dislodge it from the tree it had been stuck in. It finally came out with a soft 'pop' and Boq was sent staggering backwards. After he regained his balance he turned to Fiyero, "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry about it," said Fiyero urgently, "Just help put me back together. Quickly, we haven't got much time!"

Not wasting a second, Boq and the lion, who seemed to have regained his composure after the Monkeys' departure, obediently began to collect bits of Fiyero from around the area. It took several minutes to locate all of the straw, and then Boq began to reassemble him. Fiyero decided that having another man put him back together was easily the most awkward and embarrassing situation he had ever experienced. However, he did not dwell on the matter for long. As soon as he was reassembled, Fiyero turned and began sprinting toward Kiamo Ko.

Boq called after him, but he did not slow his pace or turn around. He had to reach Elphaba before the others, and that meant he needed a head start. Boq and the Lion would not be suspicious, they'd probably assumed he was just in a rush to rescue Dorothy. They didn't know how wrong they were. Though he did not want to see the little girl get hurt, she was most definitely not his main concern at the moment.

Boq and the Lion took off after him, but after a short while Fiyero could hear the clanking of Boq's tin joints growing fainter. He supposed Boq had stayed behind to keep the same pace as the Lion, who would most likely be getting out of breath. Happy for this stroke of luck, Fiyero kept sprinting for all he was worth, and he arrived at Kiamo Ko in a matter of minutes.

The familiar castle loomed over him, not looking frightening at all, despite the rather ominous back drop of the forest and the night sky. Though Fiyero's family had never actually lived in this castle, they had stayed here whenever they visited the Emerald City, as this castle was much closer to the city than their home in the Vinkus. During these visits Fiyero had often spent his time exploring, and he'd found many interesting passageways within the old stone walls of the castle. The old building seemed like a sort of home away from home for him.

It was also because of those visits that he knew there was a secret entrance in the back. It was well hidden, and Fiyero was fairly sure that Elphaba would not have found out about it. This meant that there would be no guards stationed there, and Fiyero could easily use the passage to slip inside unnoticed.

Moving around to the back of the building, Fiyero searched the stretch of stone wall until he found what he was looking for. To the ignorant eye it would appear as though nothing was out of place here, but Fiyero knew better. Placing his cloth fingers into a crack between two of the stones, he pulled and lifted away a large section of the wall, revealing a narrow passageway. Fiyero would just be able to squeeze through if he crawled on his hands and knees. He entered the tunnel carefully and pulled the stones back into place behind him so that none of the guards would realize he was there.

The passage was not too long, but it was narrow, and Fiyero was pretty sure he would not have been able to squeeze through if not for the fact that his straw filled body could bend as such strange angles. The passage led to a trap door in the castle's foyer, and Fiyero checked for guards before he stepped out. Luckily the room was deserted, and so he slipped out of the passage quietly and shut the door softly behind him.

Looking around, he tried to decide where to go from here. Thinking for a moment, he decided that Elphaba was probably staying in the north tower. It was the highest tower in the building, and he knew that this would appeal to Elphaba. It was also the most spacious, and that meant she would have more room to place her things. Yes, he was fairly certain that he would find Elphaba there.

Moving into the center of the room, Fiyero checked for guards once more before pressing himself against the wall. He poked his head out into the hall way, but pulled it back in quickly as he realized there was a guard passing by. Hoping against hope that he hadn't been spotted, Fiyero melted into the shadows and pressed himself up against the wall once more. Only once the guard walked passed without stopping did Fiyero breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief.

Now that the hallway was deserted once more, Fiyero slipped out into it, taking great care to stay close to the wall in case he needed to hide in the shadows once more. However, he luckily encountered no more guards as he made his way up the tower at the top of the building. Finally he reached the top of the last staircase, and he now stood in front of the door that led into the north tower bedroom. This was it. He was almost certain he would be facing Elphaba when he pushed open those doors.

Fiyero took a moment to collect himself, knowing full well that this meeting could turn out to be a disaster. He had to be very careful about how he made his entrance, and he had to be sure to choose his words carefully. He could not startle or anger Elphaba, or he might find himself spontaneously combusting before he had a chance to explain himself. Finally, when he was ready, he placed a burlap hand on the handle, and pushed the heavy door open.

**Ooooh, cliff hanger. :P**

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**S.P.**


	7. Reunited

Fiyero pushed the door open slowly, his straw heart beating so fast that he was sure it was going to burst from his chest. Sure enough, when the heavy door swung back, it revealed a well furnished, and living in looking room. Glancing around, Fiyero's eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar flash of the green skin he'd missed for so long. He tried to stay calm, but the shock of seeing her again had suddenly taken hold of his body.

Elphaba, upon hearing the door open, whipped around, her eyes blazing as she spotted her intruder. Fiyero knew that look, and it mean that she was less than happy to see him. He hoped she'd at least be reasonable enough to let him speak before she attacked him.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" she demanded sharply, her cloak whipping behind her as she advanced on him. Fiyero found that he couldn't take a step backwards; he was already pressed up against the wall. Elphaba brandished her broomstick menacingly "If you've come here for that brat, then I'll-"

"Elphaba wait!" Fiyero cried, throwing his arms up in front of him in defense, just in case Elphaba was about to cast some sort of spell.

Elphaba seemed caught completely off guard by Fiyero's use of her real name. She stopped short, her grasp on her broomstick slackening. Immediately her rage turned to complete confusion, "How do you…"

"Elphaba it's me," Fiyero said, taking a step toward her now that Elphaba seemed to have calmed down a bit, "It's Fiyero."

The fire returned to Elphaba's eyes at once, and she took another step toward him, "I don't know where you heard that name, but you're lying. Fiyero is dead."

Fiyero took another tentative step forward, "No Elphaba, listen to me. Whatever sort of spell you cast saved my life, it just changed my appearance. You-"

Elphaba cut him off, "No, no stop it! Fiyero is dead! He's dead!" she shouted, now taking a step back from him and shaking her head. Fiyero could see that she was trying her hardest not to cry. She looked tortured, and it broke Fiyero's heart. He had to get through to her, there wasn't much time.

"Fae," he said softly, and she looked almost fearfully at him as he used the nickname, "It's me. We went to Shiz together, I almost ran you over with my carriage on my first day. We rescued a Lion Cub together."

Elphaba finally lifted her head again, looking startled, "Oh my….Fiyero!"

Fiyero was caught completely off guard as Elphaba suddenly launched herself at him. She enveloped him in a tight hug, lifting his light straw body off of the ground in her excitement. Finally she set him back down, and it took him a moment to register the fact that she was crying.

Placing her head on his shoulder, Fiyero tried to comfort her. She was shaking uncontrollably, and violent sobs were wracking her body. Fiyero was a bit startled by this sudden show of emotion. After all, Elphaba was usually extremely guarded. However, he did not feel awkward as he usually did when women cried. The only thing he could feel now was relief.

After a few moments, Elphaba finally pulled away from him, wiping her tear streaked face with the back of her hand, "Fiyero, how is this possible?"

"It's thanks to you Fae. I don't know what type of spell you cast, but it turned me into this. It saved me life," he said, not wanting to let her go. He'd never felt so happy and relieved in his entire life.

Suddenly, Elphaba's eyes grew wide as she suddenly realized something, "Oh no…if you were the Scarecrow this entire time…. That day by the barn…the fire…"

"It's alright Fae," he said truthfully. He knew she'd been extremely distressed at the time, "I'm sure you didn't really mean it."

She pulled away from him, looking upset, "But I _did _mean it Yero. Oh Oz, I could have killed you! I just wanted those shoes, I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay," he said, trying to calm her. He pulled her close to him once more, "Everything is going to be okay now."

Elphaba still looked distressed, "No, everything is not going to be okay Fiyero. All of Oz wants me dead, I have no where to go, and I have a ten year old girl locked up in my basement. How can things possible be okay?"

Fiyero just now remembered that Elphaba had kidnapped Dorothy. He'd completely forgotten the girl in light of his reunion with Elphaba. "Why did you kidnap her in the first place Fae?" he asked gently.

Elphaba turned away, looking ashamed, "I don't know, I just wanted those shoes. It gave me some sort of purpose. I didn't have anything left. You and Nessa were dead and Glinda won't even look at me any more. I wasn't thinking clearly at all, but now I wish I'd never even started after those wretched old shoes!"

Fiyero suddenly seemed to realize the remember their meeting had been so urgent. "Oh Oz, I almost forgot. I came here to warn you! Boq and the Lion are on their way here, and they're out for blood. The Wizard gave them orders to retrieve your broomstick, and they have no qualms about killing you to get it," he explained quickly.

"The Wizard? Why in Oz name did you go to see the Wizard?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Dorothy was going to see him in hopes that he would help her find a way home. I went with her because I was hoping to find you, since you were obviously after her. We ran into Boq and the Lion along the way, and we all brought requests before the Wizard when we got there. He refused to grant them unless we brought him your broomstick," Fiyero explained quickly.

Elphaba seemed to grow even more frantic at this news, "Oh Oz, this is all my fault! Why did I have to get so worked up over a stupid pair of shoes? I miss Nessa of course, but they're not worth what I've gone through for them. What if I just release the girl and give you the broomstick? You can tell the others I let you go."

Fiyero shook his head; there was no way Boq would believe that. Besides, the tin man seemed hell bent on killing her, "No, they'll never buy that. I have another plan, but to pull it off you'll have to continue to be the 'Wicked Witch of the West' for a bit longer. Keep Dorothy here, but don't harm her, just scare her."

"Fiyero I can't…" Elphaba argued. Filling the role the Ozians had given her had been easy when she'd had nothing left, but now that she had Fiyero back she didn't know if she could bear to turn back into that, "I don't want to do this any more."

Fiyero took her in his arms again, "It's only for a little while Fae, you can do it. You need to if we're going to get out of this alive. There's a trap door down in the foyer, but it's practically invisible if you don't know exactly where it is. With a bit of luck we may be able to use the Ozians' stupid rumors to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked, not sure what Fiyero was getting at.

"There's been a rumor going around that water will melt you," he said. At Elphaba's indignant look he hastily added, "I know it's ridiculous, but you know they're empty headed enough to believe anything they hear. If we can set this up perfectly, we'll be able to fake your death and get out of Oz unnoticed. I'll return to the others, and when we arrive here I'll send word to you with one of your Monkeys."

"How can you be sure that the others won't know what you're up to? I don't want to put you in danger Fiyero," Elphaba said.

"Don't worry about that Fae, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'll do my best to keep my true intentions hidden. You should do the same. Tell no one of this plan," he said sternly.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow, a bit of her usual sarcastic nature returning to her, "And who am I going to tell? The Flying Monkeys?"

Fiyero shook his head, smiling despite himself as he saw that Elphaba was becoming her usual self again, "Alright, once I leave, I need you to fill a bucket with water and place it next to the trap door. Once Boq, the Lion and I get here I'll lead them to the foyer. Make sure you give them what they expect from a wicked witch, and make a big show of it. When I move to the front of the group, ignite the tip of your broom and set my arm on fire."

Elphaba's eyes widened in horror, she was shocked that Fiyero would even suggest such a thing, "Fiyero no! That's far too dangerous."

"We have no other choice Fae. I'm sure that one of the others will be smart enough to use the bucket of water to douse the flames. Position yourself above the trap door, and make sure you're in the way when that person tosses it. Then step down through the trap door as if you're being melted. Once everything clears up, I'll return for you and we can leave Oz together," he said.

Elphaba still looked reluctant, "That plan is extremely risky. If even the slightest thing goes wrong…"

Fiyero cut her off mid-sentence, "We can't afford to think that was right now. This will work. Good luck, I'll return for you soon."

Elphaba still didn't seem completely convinced, but she posed no further arguement. The two shared another brief kiss before Fiyero slipped back out into the corridor, leaving a very nervous Elphaba in his wake.

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	8. March of the Witch Hunters

Fiyero made his way out of the castle quickly, taking care to replace the stone entrance to his secret passageway once more as he exited. Walking back around to the front, he found a very anxious Boq and a terrified Cowardly Lion searching the front of the castle for a way in. Upon spotting him, Boq looked immensely relieved.

"Oh there you are," he said, walking over toward Fiyero, "We lost sight of you after you ran ahead. We were worried the Witch might have captured you too. Where were you anyway?"

"I was…looking for a way in," he said quickly, trying to come up with a suitable lie. He realized just how much lying he'd been doing lately. "The palace is heavily guarded, I don't see any way in."

Of course this was another lie, but he couldn't very well show them the route he'd taken into the castle. After all, how would the brainless Scarecrow have found such a well hidden passageway? He and Elphaba were so close to escaping now; it wouldn't due to blow his cover at the last moment. The three of them would just have to find some other more obvious way into the castle.

"Uh fellas…" came the Lion's voice, sounding near hysterics. When neither Boq nor Fiyero acknowledged him, he tried again, "F-fellas…"

Fiyero turned to tell the Lion to quiet down, and it was a good thing he turned around when he did. Three Winkie guards had snuck up on them, and their weapons were poised for attack. Fiyero recognized the three of them, though they obviously did not recognize him. He'd sent word to his guards to tell them to obey Elphaba's orders and, being extremely loyal, that's what they were doing. However, it wouldn't do for the three of them to be caught, so he dodged a blow from one of the soldiers and prepared for the fight that was inevitably going to take place.

While the guard was still recovering from his unsuccessful attack, Fiyero pounced on him and Boq followed suit, taking out the second guard. The Lion watched the battle nervously for a few moments before, in a stunning display of courage, he too joined the brawl. The guards were well trained, but they were no match for the combined strength of Boq in the Lion. Fiyero regretted to admit that he wasn't much help. His straw body did not exactly make for any powerful blows.

The attack turned out to be a blessing, for once the guards were unconscious Fiyero suddenly got an idea. Quickly he stripped the guards of their vests and helmets, and passed a set to both Boq and the Lion. The three of them dressed quickly, and once they had the uniforms on Fiyero doubted that he'd ever seen a more comical sight in his life. However, the disguises seemed to work well enough, for they were not stopped as they joined a line of guards that was marching in to the castle.

They broke away from the line as soon as they were inside, and the three immediately took off to look for Dorothy. It took a good deal of searching to find her, and Fiyero was frustrated that he hadn't asked Elphaba where Dorothy was being kept when he'd spoken to her earlier. However, they eventually found the cell in which she was being kept, having heard her loud sobs from down the hallway. Conveniently, it was located right off of the foyer, which would make Fiyero's plan all the easier to complete.

Boq drew near to the door and knocked on it and the three could hear Dorothy's breath hitch as she tried to choke back the rest of her sobs. She was obviously terrified, which made Fiyero wonder exactly what Elphaba had said to her.

"Dorothy, it's us," Boq said, obviously concerned for the girl's well being. Upon hearing Boq's voice, Dorothy laughed with glee.

"Oh, you came for me! I knew you wouldn't leave me here!" she cried, and Fiyero could tell that she'd moved closer to the door, though she was still blocked from view.

"Stand back Dorothy," Boq said, raising his axe high above his head and swinging it at the door. The wood splintered in half and he swung the axe down upon it two more times. Finally the door fell away, revealing a shaken but ecstatic Dorothy.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Fiyero and then hugging Boq and the Lion in turn. Her eyes wear red and puffy, but her face was lit by a bright smile.

After checking to make sure the girl was okay, Boq turned to Fiyero and the Lion, "Forget the broomstick, we have to get out of here. Come on, we haven't got much time!"

Boq didn't know how right he was, for as soon as they entered the foyer Elphaba appeared at the top of a tall staircase. She looked rather menacing, her best 'Wicked Witch' persona in place. She met Fiyero's eyes briefly, and he urged her on. She took a deep breath before she finally pulled her eyes away and turned back to the others.

"Going somewhere," she cackled, her voice shrill and malicious. Fiyero felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine. Elphaba was a good actress.

Boq, who had been trying to put on a show of bravado up until this point, turned tail and bolted down the hallway, the Lion and Dorothy not far behind. Fiyero followed suit, trying to appear convincingly scared. Several Winkie guards pursued them, but the four were able to evade them for a few minutes. However, Boq didn't have any clue where he was going, and it appeared that they were just running in circles.

For a few moments Fiyero feared that they would not make it back into the foyer to complete his plan, but eventually the guards caught up and seized the four of them from behind. The others tried to fight back, but they were outnumbered this time, and the guards managed to subdue them easily. The four were dragged back into the Foyer, where Elphaba now stood waiting for them in the center of the room.

Elphaba looked extremely nervous as the four of them were carried in. She was wringing her hands together, and trying to calm herself by taking deep, shaky breaths. However, Fiyero was sure he was the only one who noticed, because in a matter of moments Elphaba was back in character. Fiyero could feel his heart pounding. It was now or never.

"It's time to finished this," Elphaba said, her voice still unnaturally cold as she took a step toward them, "The last to die will see the first three go before her." She sent Dorothy a piercing glare as she continued to advance toward them. Fiyero watched as she stopped directly over the trap door.

One of the guards brought Elphaba her broomstick, and she pointed it at Fiyero, sending a glare in his direction. He realized that Elphaba's hands were shaking as she lifted the tip of the handle into the flames of a nearby torch until it caught fire.

Elphaba hesitated for a moment as she held the flaming broom mere inches from Fiyero's face. She seemed unsure, and so Fiyero sent her a look that clearly told her to get on with it. He pretended to struggle in the grasp of the guard that was holding him as she pushed the tip closer to him. Elphaba closed her eyes and looked away as the flames took to Fiyero's sleeve, obviously pained by what she'd just done.

Nervously, Fiyero eyed the bucket of water that was sitting a few feet away, praying with all of his might that one of them would catch on. Thankfully, Dorothy's eyes traveled to the bucket as well, and in her hysteria she managed to free herself from the grasp of the guard holding her. In one swift motion she grabbed the bucket and tossed its contents toward Fiyero. The water flew through the air in a high arch before splashing over Fiyero's arm and dousing the flame. The other half hit Elphaba square in the face, and she sputtered for a moment before she let out a tortured shriek.

"I'm melting!" she cried, rather convincingly, as she began to lower herself down through the trap door. Fiyero was surprised by how realistic it looked. Her form actually appeared to be shrinking into nothingness as she continued her tortured shouting. She had actually stepped out of her cloak as she'd gone down, so that the trap door was not visible. Her hat was left behind as well, and her now singed broomstick rolled aside and came to a stop on the other side of the room Fiyero heard an audible click as Elphaba's screams grew more distant, and he knew she was safe.

Then suddenly the scene was over, leaving only a few stunned bystanders still staring at the place where Elphaba had stood only moments ago. The foyer was now eerily quiet, though Fiyero's ears were still wringing with the sound of Elphaba's shrieks.

Dorothy seemed the first one to snap out of her trance, "Is she…"

"I think so," said Boq, moving closer to examine the cloak and hat. It looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. Fiyero assumed that Boq had been expecting more of a showdown than that.

The guards holding onto them released them suddenly, and Fiyero stumbled forward as the force that had been holding him up disappeared. One of the guards turned to address them, and the four companions tensed. However, they relaxed as the Winkie's face broke out into a warm smile. "We'd like to thank you for freeing us from the rule of the Wicked Witch of the West."

Fiyero flinched as he heard the guard use that horrid nickname for Elphaba. He supposed she must have gotten a bit…bossy when dealing with the guards. He assumed she was not too friendly when she was in an unstable state of mind. There were a few moments of rejoicing before the four of them were granted permission to take Elphaba's broomstick back to the Wizard. Fiyero moved to retrieve it from the other side of the room. He smiled as he spared a glance to Elphaba's hat and the trap door he knew it was sitting on top of. A smile played at his lips. She was down there waiting for him. This nightmare would be over very soon.

They turned to leave, and Fiyero spared one last glance behind him. 'I'll be back for you soon Elphaba,' he thought, 'Just stay strong until then'. With that he turned and followed his three companions out into the darkness of the forest. After a few moments the guards left as well, no longer finding any interesting reason to stick around. No one was around to see a petite blond move from behind a curtain on the far side of the room and kneel down before the pointed black hat. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as she sat there, mourning the death of her best friend.

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	9. Rewards

On the way back to Oz Fiyero realized that there was a much more cheerful air about the group. Fiyero registered with some surprise that it was now dawn, and their little adventure had brought them through into the next day. The forest that had seemed so ominous and terrifying last night now looked much different in the early morning light. Now the others did not shiver uncontrollably as they journeyed, but walked along with a spring in their step. Dorothy was practically skipping as her little dog ran around at her heels.

However, Fiyero felt strangely isolated from the group now. He supposed it was because his cause for joy was so much different than that of the other three. They were celebrating the fact that the Wicked Witch was dead, while he was rejoicing over the fact that she was alive. He wondered vaguely how the others would react if they ever found out his secret, but his thoughts were interrupted as they finally reached the edge of the forest. They had journeyed all the way back through the forest without stopping to rest. Fiyero was surprised that Dorothy hadn't passed out at their feet by now, but the young girl didn't even seem the least bit fatigued. In fact she appeared to be wound like a top. Fiyero assumed it was only a matter of time before she crashed.

They traveled back to the city quickly, still running on adrenaline from their recent experience. They were welcomed back with cheers and shouts of exultation. Apparently word had already spread about what had happened, though Fiyero was not quite sure how.

Looking up, Fiyero spotted Glinda perched high above the crowd. Even from here he could tell that something was deeply troubling her. He assumed that she too had heard the news of Elphaba's death. He was glad that Glinda at least had the heart to mourn her friend's death, even though as far as he knew the two had not been speaking at the time Elphaba's 'melting' had occurred. After a few moments, Glinda stood and addressed the crowd.

"Fellow Ozians, there have been rumors flying around about the death of the Wicked Witch of the West," Glinda began. The crowd immediately fell silent, and it seemed as though every single Ozian was holding his or her breath, "I myself have been to the Witch's castle, and I can safely assure you that these rumors are indeed true. The Wicked Witch of the West is dead!"

Glinda's announcement was met with shouts of joy, though Fiyero noted that she seemed anything but joyous herself. He wondered for a moment why Glinda did nothing to dispel the lies about Elphaba. He supposed it was just Glinda being Glinda. She would never do anything that would blemish her shining reputation. It probably wouldn't have done much good anyway, but Fiyero still thought it would have been nice if she'd said _something _in Elphaba's defense instead of standing there and smiling stupidly. After a few moments he turned from Glinda and returned his attention to the joyous crowd. He supposed some things would never change.

Eventually the four of them were able to squeeze through the celebrating crowd and make their way back toward the Wizard's palace, more confident now that they had the Witch's broomstick in hand. This time as they reached the palace's emerald doors they were sent in immediately. As they traveled through the stone passageway Fiyero recalled that the Wizard had promised to grant their requests if they brought him the broomstick. Fiyero imagined that his fellow travelers would come away from this meeting feeling rather disappointed.

As they entered the Wizard's chamber the lights on the mechanical head flared once more, but this time Dorothy did not seem afraid. Broomstick in hand, she marched straight up to the giant contraption and laid the broomstick down in front of it.

"We've brought you the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West," she said excitedly, looking up at the giant head expectantly, "You'll help us now won't you?"

"Perhaps," came the Wizard's booming voice, "I need to think about it. Come back tomorrow."

Fiyero felt his temper flare at the Wizard's comment. He'd put the poor girl through all that trauma, and now he wasn't even going to help her? Fiyero knew it was simply because the Wizard _couldn't _help her, but that was no excuse to send the girl away empty handed.

"What?" Dorothy shouted, beginning to panic as the lights on the mechanical head started to dim, "No! You promised!"

In the midst of everything that was taking place, no one had bothered to keep an eye on Toto. Suddenly the small mutt darted forward and ran toward a curtain on the opposite side of the room. Grasping the end of the fabric in his teeth, the small dog pulled the curtain back.

There sat the Wizard of Oz. The _real _Wizard of Oz, not the mechanical head he hid behind. However, it appeared that he did not realize that he had been exposed as he continued to speak into a microphone that was placed in front of him, the loud voice echoing his words, "You should be glad I'm only making you wait one day, instead of twenty years!"

The Wizard seemed to feel the other's eyes on the back of his head, because he turned around suddenly, his eyes growing wide as he realized he was sitting in plain sight. He tried to pull the curtain back around himself, but it was too late, the damage had been done. Rushing forward Dorothy pulled it back once more, and the Wizard looked up at her guiltily.

"Who are you?" she asked, amazed, though Fiyero was quite sure she already knew the answer.

"I am the Great and Powerful," he began, speaking into the microphone so that his voice was echoed by the giant head. However, the end of his sentence trailed off pathetically as he finished it off in his normal voice, "Wizard of Oz…"

He stepped out from behind the curtain and Dorothy looked appalled. "Oh, you're a very bad man," she chided, wagging her finger at him.

"No my dear, I'm a very good man!" he said, trying to defend himself. It took every ounce of Fiyero's self restraint not to laugh bitterly at that comment. The Wizard was nothing but a manipulative coward who hid behind his own lies. Fiyero wondered briefly what would happen to Dorothy when this situation was over; because it was obvious the Wizard wasn't going to be doing anything to help the poor girl out.

Returning to reality, Fiyero realized that he'd missed the rest of the conversation, and that the Wizard was now rummaging through a cardboard box on the other side of the room. After a few moments he rejoined them, his arms laden down with some rather strange knickknacks he'd dug out of the box. He made a quick speech to Fiyero, Boq and the Lion about what it meant to have brains, heart and courage, before he presented Fiyero with a diploma, Boq with a heart shaped clock, and the lion with a bronze metal that said 'courage' in large capital letters. Fiyero looked at the diploma disinterestedly, wondering vaguely if this was just a bunch of junk the Wizard had saved from high school.

Fiyero looked on disgustedly as Boq and the Lion thanked the Wizard profusely for the gifts. Fiyero couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to shake Boq and yell 'You idiot, that's a clock, not a heart. Sure it would look lovely on your mantle, but you still can't love!' And what good did a diploma or a medal of courage do if the receivers hadn't earned the awards themselves? This was ridiculous! He was supposed to be the brainless one, but this crowd could sure fool him.

However, Fiyero was pulled from his angry musing when the Wizard turned to Dorothy. "Now my dear, I shall help you to return home." Fiyero cocked an eyebrow, not quite believing what he was hearing. What was the Wizard trying to pull?

Dorothy didn't quite seem to buy it either. "But are you powerful enough to do that?" she asked skeptically. Fiyero bit back a comment about how the Wizard was not powerful enough to tie his own shoes.

The Wizard ignored Dorothy's comment. "The only way to get you home, is for me to take you there myself!" he remarked.

Fiyero looked up at this. Did this mean what he thought it did? Was the Wizard really leaving? That didn't make any sense. Why would the most powerful man in Oz leave just to bring some random farm girl back to her home? Fiyero knew there was more to the story than that; this act was far too selfless for the Wizard of Oz.

But the Wizard did seem serious about going through with it. Calling his guards into the room, he ordered them to inflate his hot air balloon and set it up in the center of the town square. The guards seemed confused by this request, but obediently set off to fulfill it none the less. The Wizard explained the plan to them. He was going to take Dorothy back to Kansas in his hot air balloon. Apparently he was from Kansas as well, and was longing to return home. Fiyero knew this was a blatant lie, but he said nothing, because the Wizard leaving with Dorothy was killing two birds with one stone as far as he was concerned.

After a few more minutes one of the guards returned to tell the Wizard that the preparations were nearly complete. The Wizard thanked the guard and then, smiling jovially, waved the rest of them out of the palace and into the courtyard to where the hot air balloon now stood proud and tall, gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

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	10. There's No Place Like Home'

**If you only clicked on this chapter because you're wondering why a story that has been completed for two years was updated, it's because I've rewritten this and there's now extra material. For more information see the new author's note at the beginning of the first chapter. Enjoy chapter ten:**

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

As the four travelers followed the Wizard out of the palace and into the courtyard, they were met with the sight of a huge hot air balloon. It loomed tall above a large crowd of disbelieving Ozians, who had gathered together to see if the appearance of the hot air balloon really meant that the Wizard was leaving. Some of the members of the crowd were actually weeping, which made Fiyero roll his eyes in exasperation.

Dorothy looked at the balloon for a moment, and then turned back to her friends, her expression torn. She hugged them all tightly, turning to Fiyero last. Giving him a tight squeeze, she whispered, "I think I'll miss you most of all."

Fiyero smiled despite himself at Dorothy's words. She was a very sweet young girl, even if she was hopelessly naïve. Fiyero thought it a bit ironic that she had grown friendliest with him, when he had really been a traitor in their midst all along. Still, he did hope the girl got home safely, and he hugged her back as he bid her farewell.

The Wizard helped Dorothy into the balloons large basket, and then turned to the waiting crowd of Ozians. He made a quick speech about how the 'strains of wizarding had become too much for him' or some other such nonsense. He also said that he was leaving Oz under the rule of the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man. Fiyero doubted that was going to happen. Fiyero would be leaving in just a short while, the Lion wanted to return to the forest, and Boq showed no interest in anything political at all. Fiyero imagined that Glinda would probably take over in the wake of the Wizard's departure. After all, the Ozians lover her and she already had a pretty high political position.

However, Fiyero's train of thought was broken by a sudden commotion. Having spotted a cat a short distance away, Toto had leapt from Dorothy's arm in pursuit of it. Horrified at the prospect of leaving her beloved pet behind, Dorothy had bolted after him, and the balloon had lifted off the ground, leaving both of them behind.

"Wait for me!" Dorothy cried, scooping Toto up as she raced back toward the balloon. It was too late, the Wizard was already several feet off the ground, and he showed now sign of coming back down.

"I can't!" he replied, "I don't know how this thing works!" The balloon simply kept rising until it was just a speck in the sky, and the crowd of Ozians began cheer and wave, some even running after the balloon from below. Dorothy was completely forgotten in all of the excitement.

Dorothy looked after the balloon, her only chance of returning home, with tears in her eyes. Fiyero's heart went out to the poor girl. She'd been through so much, only to have the one thing she'd wanted pulled out from under her at the last minute. That had to hurt.

Dejectedly, Dorothy took a seat on one of the steps that led up to the palace, dropping her face into her hands, "Now what am I going to do?"

"Here's someone who can help you," came Boq's excited voice. Looking up, Fiyero spotted Glinda's pink bubble descending toward them. He assumed she was coming to see what the problem was. There was a large, and obviously fake, smile on her face as she joined the crowd of awestruck Ozians. Fiyero seemed to be the only one who picked up on the pain she was obviously masking.

Fiyero wondered if Glinda really could help Dorothy. The blond had no real magical ability after all, and Fiyero was pretty sure there were a limited number of ways one could travel to another world. But perhaps she really did have some sort of power. She could pull off that pink bubble trick couldn't she? Fiyero waited expectantly to hear what Glinda had to say.

"Oh Miss Glinda, could you please help me? I really need to get home, and the Wizard has left without me! I don't know what I'm going to do," said Dorothy worriedly, standing up as Glinda moved toward her.

"You've always had the power to get home Dorothy," Glinda said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Glinda's voice didn't sound normal, it was far too sugary, even for her. There was something fake about the tone she was using. Fiyero watched her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate on her rather vague explanation.

Dorothy seemed taken aback by this news. "What? Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, and Fiyero thought she sounded a bit annoyed.

Glinda paused for a moment, as though trying to come up with a suitable response. After a moment she replied, "You had to find it out for yourself." Fiyero could tell that though Glinda appeared confident, she really had no clue what she was talking about. He assumed that the real reason she hadn't told Dorothy in the first place was because she hadn't known.

Glinda tried to cover up her pathetic excuse. "So what have you learned?" she asked quickly.

Dorothy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've learned that if I ever go searching for my hearts desire again, I won't look farther than my own backyard, because if it's not there, I never truly lost it to begin with," she said cryptically, and Fiyero could tell Glinda had no clue what the girl had just said.

Nonetheless, she responded, "That's exactly right!" clapping her hands together jovially and flashing another winning smile.

"That's it?" said Fiyero sarcastically, "Well I could have thought of that."

"I should have felt it in my heart," said Boq, clutching his gift from the Wizard close to his chest. Fiyero couldn't help but think that this was the weirdest and cheesiest thing he'd ever heard, especially from a grown man. It was made worse by the fact that Boq didn't even have a heart, _he had a clock._

"So how do I get home then?" Dorothy asked, ignoring the comments from Boq and Fiyero as she looked expectantly at Glinda.

Fiyero could practically see the gears in the blonds head turning. However, when she spoke this time she seemed more sure of herself. "Just click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home'," she said, pointing her wand toward Dorothy's shoes. Fiyero knew she really had no clue how to use that wand, and so he wondered how Glinda was planning to pull this off.

Dorothy followed the orders, squeezing her eyes shut as she repeated the phrase and clicked her heels together. After a few moments she began to fade from sight, until finally she had disappeared altogether. Fiyero was shocked that the magic had actually worked. He wondered if Glinda had pulled it off herself or if she'd had any help. The crowd of Ozians stood staring at the spot where Dorothy had been standing only moments before.

Finally Glinda turned to the remaining three heroes. "So, it looks like you boys are going to be the new rulers of Oz," she said, clapping her hands together.

The Ozians cheered, but Fiyero shook his head. "I'm sorry; I'm going to have to decline. I'm not cut out for that. I'll probably just settle down somewhere quiet and forget this whole mess," he lied. His mind was on thoughts of Elphaba. They would be reunited so very soon….

As predicted, Boq declined the offer as well. "Me too. I'm just a simple guy, I'm not cut out to rule a country," he said. In truth he was scared that he would end up like Nessarose. He remembered all too clearly what had happened when she'd been placed in a position of power.

"And I'm going to return to the forest," the Lion stated, his voice sounding unusually confident, "With my new found courage, I'll be the king!"

"But who will rule us?" cried one of the Ozians in the crowd, looking horrified at the prospect of having no leader to hero worship.

"What about Glinda?" cried another, and immediately a din rose above the crowd. The Ozians seemed to take to this idea immediately.

Fiyero could tell that Glinda was overjoyed by this, though she tried to appear modest. Fiyero was suddenly reminded of the way she had been at Shiz as she replied, "No…stop! I couldn't…."

"Oh please Miss Glinda, we'd love to have you as our ruler," someone pleaded, and Glinda appeared to have been won over.

"Alright, I will take the position," she said, and she waited for the cheering to die down before she continued, "And I promise, I will do my very best to make decisions that will be beneficial to the future of Oz!" Fiyero could see a glimmer of something akin to determination in Glinda's eyes, and she was gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Fiyero wondered what he was missing. This was obviously more important to Glinda than she let on, and Fiyero could tell it was not just about the social status. Maybe Glinda really had changed somewhere along the way.

However, he did not think on it for long for, with a grand wave, Glinda ascended in her bubble and floated back toward the palace. Once she was gone the members of the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only Fiyero, Boq and the Lion standing together in the square.

"Well…I guess I'll be seeing you guys around," Fiyero said awkwardly. He knew that in reality he would probably never see the two again. He had no plans of returning to the Emerald City, or to any populated area of Oz for that matter. He didn't know where he planned to go after he was reunited with Elphaba, but they were going to go somewhere far away; somewhere where no one would ever find them.

"Yeah…see you around," Boq responded with a lopsided smile, before he turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. The Lion followed after giving Fiyero a small nod and a wave, and soon Fiyero was the only one left standing in the empty square.

He began to walk away, when he suddenly had an idea and changed his direction. Moving quickly, he headed back toward the palace. The guards let him through immediately this time as well. After all, he was a revered hero now. He moved swiftly down the corridor and threw the door at the end open without any hesitation.

The main chambers looked dark and deserted in the absence of the Wizard. There were no lights on in the large room, and the giant mechanical head lay off to the side, motionless and deserted.

In one swift motion Fiyero swept across the room and retrieved Elphaba's broom from where it lay forgotten in the wake of the Wizard's departure. His task complete, Fiyero exited quickly, trying to seem inconspicuous as he left the palace with the Wicked Witch of the West's broom. He exited the building, and this time kept walking, his steps quickening in his excitement. He and Elphaba were going to be reunited so very soon.

**Thanks for reading.**

**S.P.**


	11. Departure

**Well, this is it, the last chapter. Once again, if you're only wondering why this fic was updated even though it was completed, see the author's note at the beginning of the first chapter. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and I hope you like the last chapter.**

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Fiyero did not hesitate at all as he entered the Great Gillikin Forest once more. His steps were quick in his excitement, and he hardly even registered his surroundings as they passed around him in a blur. He was worried about Elphaba. At this point she would have been down under that trap door for a good number of hours. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and know that she was safe. In his haste, and without Dorothy or the Lion to slow him down, Fiyero managed to reach Kiamo Ko in only two hours.

He approached the castle, peering around to make sure there were no guards in sight. He couldn't see any from where he was standing. In fact, the castle seemed deserted. Fiyero supposed that the guards had simply taken their leave now that there was no one left in the castle. They'd only been there under Fiyero's orders to obey Elphaba, and he supposed that now that she was 'dead' they'd simply returned home. That made things much easier for Fiyero. Instead of sneaking around to the back of the castle, he simply used the front door this time.

From the entrance hall, he quickly made his way to the foyer. Moving around was made much easier now that he had no guards to evade. He stepped into the now deserted room slowly. He couldn't believe that he'd been here only last night. It had been mere hours since Elphaba had been 'melted' and yet it felt like an eternity to Fiyero.

He moved across the room to the trap door quickly and knelt down before it, placing Elphaba's broomstick next to his right leg. He registered with some surprise that Elphaba's hat was gone, though he hadn't seen anyone take it. He supposed one of the guards had probably gotten rid of it in the aftermath of the witch hunt. Fiyero shoved the thoughts from his mind as he brought his fist down and wrapped lightly on the trap door.

"It worked," he said, letting her know it was him. He could not keep the joy from his voice.

Almost immediately Elphaba's torso appeared as the door sprang open. "Fiyero!" she cried. Fiyero had never seen her look so relieved. She flung her arms around him as he helped her climb out of her hiding place.

Then suddenly, Elphaba pulled back, and looked at his straw features as if registering them for the first time. Seeing the embarrassed look on her face, he said, "It's okay, touch. I don't mind."

She placed a green hand tentatively on his burlap face. Her expression softened, "You're still beautiful," she said, admiration shining in her eyes.

"You don't have to lie to me," Fiyero said, placing a straw hand on her arm. He knew his new form was not nearly as handsome as his old one had been. Elphaba was only saying that to make him feel better, and she didn't have to. Things like that no longer mattered to Fiyero.

"It's not lying," she said, running her fingers across his face, "It's looking at things another way." She smiled up at him, and Fiyero could tell she was being serious. He felt a grin break out over his own face as he remembered a time when he'd said the same words to her.

They stayed locked in a tight embrace for a moment, each unable to tear their gaze from the other's eyes. Eventually Fiyero finally turned away and stood up, stooping down to help Elphaba to her feet, the broomstick rolling aside as he did so.

"Oh," he said, just remembering that the broomstick was there. He bent down to retrieve it and then offered it to Elphaba, "I'd almost forgotten, I brought this back for you."

Elphaba smiled gratefully as she took the slightly singed broomstick from him. "How did you get it back from the Wizard?" she asked curiously, surveying the handle to make sure the broom was still usable.

Fiyero had almost forgotten to tell her the good news, "The Wizard's gone Elphaba. He left for Kansas in his hot air balloon earlier today."

Elphaba looked up at him in surprise, "Really? Why would he do that? It doesn't seem like him at all."

"I'm not sure. He was trying to take Dorothy home, and he said he was homesick," Fiyero replied.

Elphaba looked skeptical, "Somehow I imagine there's more to the story than that. Who's taking over now that he's gone?"

"Well, the Wizard had originally wanted me, Boq and the Lion to rule, but we all declined for different reasons, so now Glinda will be filling the position," he explained. At the mention of Glinda's name, Elphaba's face fell, and she looked down at her shoes. Fiyero looked at her concernedly, "What's wrong?"

"Glinda came to see me right before I faked my death," she said quietly. Fiyero's eyes widened, and she obviously knew what he was thinking because she quickly added, "Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything about the plan. We made up."

"Then what's the matter?" he asked.

"The matter is that my best friend thinks I'm dead. She was here the entire time it was taking place. She was still in the room when you sent me the note telling me you'd arrived. I told her it said you were dead, and then I made her hide behind a curtain in the foyer. She came out after everyone left, and I could hear her crying above me. Oh Oz Fiyero, it was so hard not to just open the door and tell her everything," Elphaba said.

Fiyero could see that Elphaba's eyes were beginning to get glassy, and he pulled her into his arms. "I know how you must feel Fae, but it'll be better of no one knows where we are. It's safer for all of us this way."

"I know," Elphaba said quietly, regaining her composure as the two began to walk toward the castle's exit.

Fiyero decided to change the subject by asking Elphaba a question that had been bothering him. "Elphaba I was wondering something. Boq said that it was your fault he was turned into the Tin Man. I know you wouldn't have done something like that without good reason. What happened exactly?

Elphaba looked down at her feet guiltily as she began to explain, "I went to visit Nessa, that was when I put a spell on her shoes that turned them red and allowed her to walk. She was so excited that she called Boq, whom she'd been keeping as a servant, in, and he spotted me. After seeing that Nessa could walk he'd wanted to leave to try and stop Glinda from marrying you. Nessa got angry and tried to cast a spell, but she did it all wrong. Instead of falling in love with her, Boq began to lose his heart completely. I was under so much pressure, the only thing I could think of doing was to turn him into tin so that he wouldn't need one."

"It sounds to me like you saved his life," Fiyero said, seeing that Elphaba felt guilty about the incident.

"Yes, but it's too bad I can never seem to accomplish that without some rather unpleasant side effects," she said, glancing at Fiyero's straw body once more.

He gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "You do what you can. I'm grateful for your help, and I'm sure Boq would be too if he knew the whole story.

Elphaba smiled slightly, and he could tell his comments had helped a bit. After a few moments she turned to him, "Now I get to ask you a question."

"Okay," he said skeptically, not sure what questions she could possibly have for him.

"You told me that you, Boq and the Lion all brought requests to the Wizard. What was yours?" she asked with a teasing glint in her eye.

Oh well, you see," Fiyero stuttered, now feeling embarrassed, "I didn't really want anything. I made a comment that Dorothy seemed to take rather literally, so I was just playing along to earn her trust."

"Yes, but what did you ask for," she asked again, now smirking at him.

"A brain," he muttered. He would have blushed if he'd had the ability. At this Elphaba burst out laughing, practically doubling over in her amusement. Fiyero grew indignant, "It's not that funny!"

She smiled up at him, "That's the last thing I'd ever imagine you asking for when we were back at Shiz."

Fiyero shrugged, smiling, "People change."

At this comment Elphaba seemed to grow somber again, "That's for sure…" Fiyero cursed himself for ruining her good mood.

As they walked through the forest, Fiyero began to explain his plans for their escape. Initially he'd wanted to leave Oz altogether, but Elphaba didn't seem to like this idea, so he instead suggested they move to one of the more deserted areas of Oz, out by the desert. He just wanted to make sure that they would never be found. This seemed to suit Elphaba more, for she was reluctant to leave her homeland behind.

Finally they reached the edge of the forest and continued walking. They'd decided they were going to move out to the Vinkus, since Fiyero knew the area so well. As they passed the Emerald City for what was most likely the last time, Elphaba hesitated.

"It's time to go," Fiyero said gently, sensing Elphaba's uncertainty.

"We can never come back here can we?" she asked sadly, never taking her eyes off of the sparkling city on the horizon. Night had long ago fallen, and the city sparkled beautifully against the dark sky.

"No," Fiyero said. He knew this was hard for Elphaba. It was hard for him too, but this was the only way they would ever be truly safe. If they stayed around a populated area the risk of being seen would be far too high.

"I only wish…" she trailed off.

"What?" he asked, turning back to Elphaba.

"I wish that Glinda could know that we were alive," she said sadly, hanging her head. Fiyero looked up, and he thought he could see a fleck of pink in the midst of a celebrating crowd. He knew what that crowd was celebrating, it was the reason he and Elphaba needed to get away from all of this. He knew she'd miss Glinda terribly, and he imagined he'd miss the blond a bit himself, but there was no other way.

"She can't know, not if we want to be safe. No one can ever know," he said softly, taking her hand, "Come."

He gave Elphaba's arm a gentle tug, and she spared one last glance toward the Emerald City. With a heavy heart, she turned and followed Fiyero toward their new and uncertain future.

**The End**

**Well, that's it. Wow, it feels so good to have finally gotten around to rewriting this thing. I'm much happier with it now that I've fixed it up a bit. Well, I hope you enjoyed the story.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**S.P.**


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